By Liam Baker

Comeback victories are becoming the norm for this Ducks team and today was no different. The Ducks (18-7) trailed San Francisco (14-14) 3-2 heading into the ninth, but scored once in the ninth and again in the 11th to win 4-3. The Ducks managed just six hits, their second lowest of the season, but managed to pull out the win thanks to some clutch hitting and stellar pitching.

The Ducks' first-inning woes looked like they were going to continue when Scott Ellis, making his first career start, allowed the first two Dons to reach via a hit-by-pitch and walk. Ellis responded by getting three straight outs highlighted by a strike out of Gabe Giosso after Jack Scanlon threw out Luke Keaschall trying to steal third base. The Ducks looked to pick up right where they left off yesterday in the bottom of the first when Tanner Smith and Colby Shade both reached via error, but Brennan Milone's double-play killed Oregon's chances of picking up some early runs.

The Dons got the scoring going in the second when Nick Yovetich hit a two-run home run after Ellis walked Kyle Knell with two outs. Ellis' day was done after just two innings, and he was replaced by Andrew Mosiello, who made his return from a back injury that kept him out almost a month. In his return, he struck out two and walked two in a scoreless inning. The Ducks were able to get on the board in the bottom of the third after both Bryce Boettcher and Colby Shade walked. Milone scored Boettcher on a single to left and Anthony Hall brought Milone home after Shade was thrown out at third on a fielder's choice.

Caleb Sloan replaced Mosiello on the mound and had a much better outing than he did against USC on Sunday. Sloan lasted only one inning and gave up five runs against the Trojans, but faced the minimum over two innings while striking out three against the Dons. The score remained tied until the sixth inning when Jordan Vujovich led off the inning with a double and Zach Freeman brought him home two batters later with a single to center.

The Dons maintained a one-run lead until the ninth inning when Kasevich and Hall led off the inning with singles. After Novitske walked, Cromwick grounded into a double play to score Kasevich. Gavin Grant followed with a walk, but Tanner Smith lined out to center field to send the game to extras.

While the Ducks were busy tying the game in their half of the inning, Matt Dallas was shutting the Dons down. Dallas pitched 3.2 no-hit innings and picked up his second win of the season.

In the bottom of the 11th, Josh Kasevich, who had three of the Ducks' five hits, led off with a double. After Hall walked and Novitske struck out, both runners moved up by way of a Cromwick ground out. With two outs, Gavin Grant hit a slow chopper to first and beat the throw, allowing Kasevich to score from third.

The win marks the Ducks' tenth comeback victory of the season. This weekend, Oregon will travel to Los Angeles to face the UCLA Bruins for a three game set. First pitch is on Friday at 6:00 pm.

Audio Story

Coach Mark Wasikowski

Gavin Grant

Matt Dallas